Sebastian’s firm tone instantly brought the atmosphere to a freezing point.

In the past, Morgan would have stepped in to smooth things over, even if it meant taking the short end of the stick.

But now, she simply stood there, watching coldly.

Grace had only one son, and in the end, she had no choice but to back down.

She even made her grandson apologize to Morgan.

At the dinner table, Grace kept piling food onto Sebastian’s plate. "Sebastian, you’ve lost weight again. Eat more."

Then she shot a glare at Morgan.

"They say a good wife should look presentable in public while being capable in the kitchen. Since you clearly lack the first, the least you could do is keep your husband happy with your cooking."

Morgan swallowed her food mechanically, tasting nothing.

"We recently hired a new housemaid. She’s a great cook, and Sebastian enjoys her food."

Grace scoffed. "A housemaid is just a housemaid—she’s not Mrs. Cole. As his wife, you should be the one taking care of these things."

Morgan didn’t reply, just smiled faintly.

Maybe she wouldn’t be Mrs. Cole for much longer anyway.

Sebastian cut in, his voice firm. "Mom, enough. Can we just eat in peace?"

Grace instantly deflated. "Fine, fine. No more talking—let’s eat."

The table finally fell into silence, but Sebastian’s phone kept buzzing.

From the corner of her eye, Morgan caught a glimpse of the message from Luna.

“Mr. Cole, I have a fever. I heard women get even hotter inside when they’re burning up. Want to come test it out?”

Luna attached a private photo of herself in barely-there lingerie.

Sebastian’s face darkened as blood rushed to his head.

He slammed his phone shut, the movement so abrupt that even Grace noticed something was off.

"Sebastian, what’s wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Sebastian quickly stood up. "Mom, something urgent came up at work. I need to take care of it."

Then he turned to Morgan. "Morgan, I might be back late tonight. Go to bed without me."

Without waiting for her response, he hurried out the door.

The moment he left, Morgan lost any desire to stay and endure more of Grace’s attitude.

She stood up, ready to leave as well.

Grace slammed her hand on the table, finally unleashing all the pent-up anger from the night.

"I’m still sitting here, and you’re already leaving? Do you have no manners at all?"

Her voice turned sharp. "Mrs. Cook, Ms. Wood, lock her in the attic! Let’s see if that teaches her some discipline!"

Morgan’s expression turned cold.

"You have no right to lock me up. This is illegal detention."

Grace let out a mocking laugh. "What a joke. A mother-in-law disciplining her daughter-in-law is perfectly justified."

Before Morgan could resist, the two older housemaids grabbed her and dragged her upstairs, shoving her into the dark attic.

Her heartbeat pounded wildly.

Tremors ran through her body.

She had claustrophobia.

The suffocating fear of death wrapped around her like a vice.

The pitch-black room felt like it was hiding monsters, waiting to devour her.

She banged on the door, shouting Sebastian’s name.

In high school, her classmates once locked her in a storage room as a prank.

She had been just as terrified back then.

Sebastian was the one to kick the door open.

Light had poured into the room with him, chasing away the darkness, and for the first time, she felt safe.

From that moment on, she saw him as her salvation.

She loved him, willingly giving up everything for him, even her own life.

But now, no matter how much she screamed, Sebastian never came.

Instead, a basin of ice-cold water was dumped over her.

Mary Wood stood over her, glaring. "Mrs. Cole, you’d better quiet down. If you keep making a fuss, don’t blame us for getting rough."

Soaked to the bone, Morgan was left locked in the attic all night.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the door finally swung open.

Sebastian rushed inside, gathering her shivering body into his arms. "Morgan, I’m sorry. I came back too late…"

The embrace she once considered her salvation now only suffocated her.

She shoved him away and walked toward the door.

The moment she stepped outside, her vision blurred, and everything went black.

When Morgan opened her eyes again, the blinding white of the hospital room filled her vision.

Her fingers twitched slightly, instantly startling Sebastian awake.

Relief flooded his expression as he grasped her hand tightly. "Morgan, you’ve been unconscious for two whole days. Thank God you’re finally awake."

The memories of what happened before she passed out came rushing back.

She looked at the man in front of her—the same man who acted as if he cared for her deeply but had already betrayed her.

Morgan could see the affection in Sebastian’s eyes.

But if he still loved her, then why did he cheat?

Was it really just because of her face?

Yet when she first got disfigured, she suggested traveling abroad for full-face graft surgery.

Sebastian stopped her. "Morgan, the procedure is excruciating, and the risk of infection is too high. I can’t let you take that risk.

"Trust me, to me, you’ll always be the most beautiful."

He kissed every scar on her face with reverence, making her believe that he truly didn’t care about her appearance and loved her for who she was.

But now, the same man who once cherished her scars betrayed her, repulsed by the very face he once claimed to love.

Her voice was hoarse as she finally spoke. "Sebastian, you—"

Before she could finish, the hospital door swung open.

A nurse entered, wearing a mask. "Mr. Cole, it’s time for Mrs. Cole’s IV."

She tore open the sterile pack and inserted the needle into Morgan’s hand.

But it missed the vein entirely.

Morgan winced as the nurse pulled the bloodied needle out and tried again.

Pain shot through her hand, and within seconds, bruises spread across her skin.

Sebastian’s expression darkened as he strode forward, shoving the nurse away. "What’s your employee number? I’m filing a complaint!"

Tears welled in the nurse’s eyes as she looked up at him.

"Mr. Cole, I’m just an intern. I haven’t quite mastered the technique yet."

Sebastian froze before snapping, "So you think it’s okay to use my wife as practice? I’m reporting you right now. Come with me to the nurses’ station."

Grabbing her by the wrist, he dragged her out of the room.

But Morgan knew he wasn’t taking her to the nurses’ station because that "nurse" was none other than Luna in disguise.

Morgan quietly followed behind them.

Sebastian led Luna straight up to the rooftop.

"Who told you to come here?"

Luna unbuttoned her nurse’s uniform, revealing the lacy lingerie underneath, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Mr. Cole, you’ve been stuck at the hospital with your wife these past two days. I missed you."

Sebastian’s anger visibly diminished, his tone no longer as harsh.

"You still shouldn’t have disguised yourself as a nurse and stabbed her like that."

"You’re the one who said I needed to be bolder, didn’t you? I was just practicing!"

"Practicing on my wife? Are you out of your mind?"

Luna pouted, but excitement gleamed in her eyes.

"Alright, alright, I was wrong."

Her fingers trailed downward, teasing him. "Why don’t you punish me, then? Give me a shot instead?"

Sebastian lost the last shred of his restraint.

He grabbed Luna and pushed her against the wall.

Her whimpers echoed across the rooftop, growing louder with each passing second.

Morgan couldn’t watch anymore.

Her body felt numb as she turned and walked away.

Back in her hospital room, the real nurse arrived to administer her IV.

Morgan stared at the clear liquid dripping slowly into the tube, feeling as though her heart was being torn apart, piece by piece.

She had no idea how much time had passed when her phone rang.

It was Sally.

"Morgan, your reconstructive surgery has been scheduled. It’s set for ten days from now. You’ll need to arrive early for the pre-op tests."

Morgan was about to tell her that her visa would be ready in seven days.

But before she could respond, Sebastian’s voice cut through the silence.

"Who’s getting reconstructive surgery?"

Morgan looked up and saw Sebastian standing at the door.

She lowered her voice and said, "Got it," before hanging up the call.

Sebastian strode over to the bedside and asked again, "Morgan, are you getting surgery?"

Morgan remained calm.

"It’s for my friend. Didn’t you say that whether I’m beautiful or not, you’d love me just the same? If that’s true, why would I put myself through the pain?"

Sebastian pulled her into his arms. "Morgan, promise me you’ll never do anything that puts you at risk. I couldn’t bear to lose you."

As they sat close together, Morgan easily noticed the faint marks on the back of his neck—traces of another woman.

Keeping her expression neutral, she gently pushed him away.

"You mentioned transferring all your shares to me before. Does that still stand?"

Sebastian’s gaze softened with affection. "Morgan, when have I ever gone back on my word to you?

"But before, no matter how I insisted, you wouldn’t accept them. What made you change your mind now?"

Morgan curled her lips slightly. "Didn’t you say that once I become a major shareholder, your mother won’t dare to mistreat me anymore?"

At the mention of Grace, guilt flickered in Sebastian’s eyes.

Without hesitation, he called his assistant to draft the transfer documents and have them sent to the hospital.

There were over a dozen documents to sign, and Morgan took the opportunity to slip her prepared divorce papers in at the very end, having him sign them all in one go.

With two major matters settled at once, the heaviness weighing on her heart lightened considerably.

Morgan remained in the hospital for another two days before being discharged.

On the day of her release, Sebastian arrived early to pick her up.

As soon as she opened the car door, her eyes landed on a torn pair of stockings lying in the passenger-side footwell.

A memory flashed in her mind—Luna’s social media post from the day before.

“My boyfriend was too impatient again. Another pair of stockings ruined. Hehe, but I guess it was worth it!”

She attached a screenshot of a five-figure bank transfer.

Morgan calmly shut the front passenger door and slid into the backseat instead.

Sebastian glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Why are you sitting in the back?"

Now wasn’t the time to tear things apart just yet.

Suppressing the nausea churning in her stomach, Morgan replied, "The backseat is safer."

Sebastian chuckled. "Are you doubting my driving skills?"

Morgan gave a half-hearted response, brushing him off before falling silent.

Halfway through the drive, Sebastian’s phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID before declining the call.

But the person on the other end was persistent, dialing again and again—ten, maybe fifteen times—until Sebastian had no choice but to pick up.

As soon as he answered, his expression shifted.

A moment later, he slammed on the brakes.

"Morgan, something urgent just came up at work. Can you take a cab home on your own?"

Morgan’s gaze lingered on his anxious face, and the corner of her lips curled into a faint, self-mocking smile.

"Sure."

At that moment, Luna updated her social media.

“Got into a car accident. Called my boyfriend right away, and he said he’d be here in a second. I love this feeling of knowing I can always count on him.”

The attached photo showed her looking pitiful, her ankle red and swollen.

Morgan opened the car door and stepped out.

Sebastian followed, personally hailing a cab for her.

Only after watching her get in did he rush off in the opposite direction.

As soon as Sebastian drove away, Morgan paid the fare and got out of the cab.

She walked.

For five hours, she followed the familiar roads of her childhood, step by step, until she reached her old family home.

Pushing open the creaky door, she stepped inside.

Underneath an apple tree in the yard, she retrieved a shovel and began digging.

Soon, her fingers brushed against the cool, metallic surface of a time capsule she had buried at eighteen.

Back then, she wrote down her dreams, sealing them away with the promise to unearth them ten years later together with Sebastian.

“I hope to marry Sebastian. I want to have two children with him and love him for a lifetime.”

That was the wish of eighteen-year-old Morgan.

Now, at twenty-eight, she tore the note to shreds.

In its place, she placed her signed divorce papers back into the capsule.

Just as she sealed it shut, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.